Name: Original U.S. Korean War Era Named US Navy 1950s Gentex H-3 Flight Helmet with Boom Mic and Helmet Bag - Extra Large
SKU: 734900

Original Items: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition, 1950s USN size “X-LARGE” Gentex H-3 helmet that comes complete with an internal cloth helmet “EX-LARGE” which contains the ear phones and boom mic. Helmet features original gold paint and USN / USMC Aviator wings to front. All parts are in very good to excellent condition. Also included is a wonderful helmet bag which has the pilot’s name rank and branch on a leather name tag:

J. S. HARRIS
CDR (Commander) USN

Unfortunately we have not been able to locate any service information for Commander Harris due to how common his name is.

This is a wonderful example with all components and pieces in great condition! Comes more than ready for further research and display.

By 1949 the US Navy was using two types of protective helmets for use by pilots of high speed aircraft, a Navy design (H-1) and one developed by the Air Force (P-1). Both have laminated fabric and plastic outer shells and utilize either sponge rubber liner (H-1) or a suspension system (P-1) to protect the wearer’s head. By April 1949 these helmets had been or were being issued to all jet pilots and pilots of Grumman F8F Bearcat and Vought F4U Corsair aircraft who required them. Neither of these designs was seen as the final word, however, and Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was working on two types. One would be a helmet which would fit over the standard flying helmet (H-3). Microphone and oxygen mask and headphones would be attached to the regular helmet so they would not be lost in the event of bailout. It had been found that in every case of bailout the helmet was lost. They would be designed so that they would come off in such event without a tight chin strap choking or causing injury to the pilot. The second type under development incorporated all the necessary gear on one helmet (H-2). Of the two designs the two-piece helmet showed more.

By April 1951 the H-3 had been designated as the standard protective helmet and 10.000 helmets were being procured. This first two-piece helmet, the H-3, featured a "breakaway" shell, with a leather shear strap (later modified with a metal ball-hook) designed to permit the outer shell to carry away under high wind-blast forces.

The helmets were painted gold because it was determined that this color provided efficient thermal protection against solar radiation. Other colors would have a tendency to make the helmet warm and therefore uncomfortable to the pilot. It was therefore recommended that no markings that covered larger areas of the helmet shells were applied.

A large number of H-3 helmets were introduced to the fleet, and were later modified with fore and aft stabilising straps connecting liner and shell, and solid, non-shear chinstrap. This stabilising strap arrangement came about when thinking again turned to keeping the helmet attached to the liner, and this modification was widely applied also to the H-4, which became the standard anti-buffet helmet from around 1954 onwards. This did not mean that the H-3 was taken out of service. The two types continued side by side as a sort of Duke's mixture of H-4s and H-3s having H-4 liners. From late 1956 the APH-5 helmet became the primary helmet for high performance aircraft so the H-3 and H-4 were relegated to less glorious use. Both the H-3 and the H-4 were still mentioned in the 1964-dated NAVPERS 10358-B PR training manual. By that time the H-3 and H-4 helmets were primarily used by crewmen in multi-place aircraft. They were no longer under procurement; and when replacement was necessary, they would be replaced by either the SPH-2, the BPH-2, or one of the APH types, whichever was applicable. The H-3 and H-4 were no longer mentioned in the 1967-dated NAVPERS 10358-C. It may therefore safely be assumed that for all intents and purposes the H-3 and H-4 disappeared from USN service between 1964 and 1967.